Unlawful Harassment Policy

Unlawful Harassment Policy (Including Sexual Harassment) of the German Saturday School Boston

Overview & Definitions

The School expects all employees and non-employees to be treated and to treat others with respect. The aim is to provide a working environment free from unlawful harassment, intimidation, or discrimination in any form, which may affect the dignity of the individual or the individual’s ability to perform their job.

The School’s policy prohibits sexual harassment and harassment based on race, sex, color, ethnicity, religion, national origin, disability, genetic information, age, military status, or any other basis protected by federal, state, or local law or ordinance or regulation.

The School’s policy against unlawful harassment applies to all persons involved in the operation of the school and prohibits unlawful harassment by or toward any employee of the school, including administration, faculty, and staff as well as supervisors and co-workers. The school will also take all reasonable steps to prevent or eliminate harassment by or toward non-employees, including students, guests, visitors, vendors, suppliers, donors, volunteers, and anyone else who may have job-related contact with our School.

Harassment, including sexual harassment, is verbal or physical conduct that denigrates or shows hostility or aversion toward an individual because of her or his race, color, creed, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, sexual orientation, marital status, veteran status, or membership in any other class protected by applicable laws, that may be offensive to others, create an offensive, intimidating or hostile working environment, or interfere with another employee’s or non-employee’s work performance. Examples of unlawful harassment include, but are not limited to:

Written or graphic material that denigrates, ridicules or shows hostility toward an individual or group because of race, color, religion, gender, national origin, age, disability or sexual orientation;

Retaliation for having reported or threatened to report harassment.

This policy applies to all phases of interaction (whether on- or off-campus, and whether it occurs during or after regular School hours), including, but not limited to, recruiting, testing, hiring, upgrading, promotion, demotion, transfer, layoff, termination, rates of pay, benefits, and selection for training.

Filing a Harassment Complaint with the School

An employee or non-employee who believes that he or she has been the object of harassment based on race, color, creed, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, sexual orientation, marital status, veteran status, or membership in any other class protected by applicable laws, or who observes an incident that may constitute harassment on these bases, or who otherwise becomes aware of such an incident, should immediately notify the School Committee or the Principal, who will arrange for an appropriate investigation. All complaints will be handled as confidentially as possible and information will be disclosed, including the results of the investigation, only as it is necessary to complete the investigation and resolve the matter.

An employee or non-employee not satisfied with the School Committee’s or the Principal’s response to a complaint of unlawful harassment, or who for any reason feels uncomfortable discussing the matter with the School Committee or the Principal, may bring the complaint directly to the attention of the President of the Boylston Schul-Verein. The School will promptly undertake a thorough investigation and will attempt to resolve the issue. Those investigating for the School will preserve the confidentiality of facts and identities as much as practical.

An employee or non-employee should report a complaint as soon as possible. The complaint should be specific and should include the names of individuals involved and the names of any witnesses.

If the school determines that unlawful harassment has occurred, effective remedial action will be taken in accordance with the circumstances involved. Any employee or non-employee determined by the School to be responsible for unlawful harassment will be subject to appropriate disciplinary action. Appropriate action will also be taken to deter/prevent future harassment.

All questions regarding this policy should be directed to the School Committee or the Principal.

Non-Retaliation

It is against this policy, and unlawful, to retaliate against an employee or non-employee for filing a complaint of sexual or other harassment or for cooperating in an investigation of such a complaint. The School will not tolerate retaliation against anyone who in good faith reports concerns under this policy or who cooperates in an investigation.

Bad Faith Claims

Disciplinary action may be taken against individuals reporting a claim in bad faith. “Bad faith” does not mean a claim that the complainant believes is valid but is later determined to be invalid. Rather, bad faith is meant to include individuals who submit claims that they know to be false or erroneous, for the purpose of hurting someone or damaging his/her reputation or other similar negative purposes (such as for their own personal gain).